JP 2000 158 068A discloses a workpiece retention device that serves to secure a metal sheet to a workpiece movement unit in the form of a coordinate guide of a turret punch press. To secure the metal sheet to the coordinate guide in a reliable manner, the coordinate guide includes two workpiece retention devices that are constructed in a substantially identical manner and each have a clamping drive in the form of a piston cylinder drive. Using the clamping drive, a workpiece clamping element can be moved towards another workpiece clamping element in order to clamp a workpiece that is arranged between the workpiece clamping elements. The clamping drive has a relatively long travel length so that both thick and thin workpieces can be clamped between the workpiece clamping elements. Furthermore, the clamping drive provides a sufficiently large clamping force to secure the clamped workpiece reliably between the workpiece clamping elements. Due to these requirements, the clamping drive is relatively large, particularly when it is constructed as a piston cylinder drive.